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Baal
This page is about Baal Hammon. Were you looking for Baal Hadad? |-|2010s Recurrence= Baal, born Valentine Campbell is one of the gods of the Recurrence. He is symbolized by the icon of a ram and was the first god to appear during the 2010s Recurrence. Albeit he claims being Baal Hadad, his true identity is of Baal Hammon, the Carthaginian God of the sky, weather, lightning, rain, wind, fire, vegetative fertility, sacrifice and King of the Gods. History Baal was born Valentine Campbell, and grew up with his parents and younger brother and sister. Baal's incarnation was in 2013, before the start of the series. He was the first god to emerge in the 2010s Recurrence.Writer Notes: The Wicked + The Divine #12 When he became a god, Ananke warned him about the Great Darkness, but he didn't take it seriously, and they attacked his family, killing his father. From then on he began sacrificing children to save his family from the Great Darkness. Laura attended his second gig, at a warehouse in East London. He had a relationship with Inanna, but it was broken off when Inanna cheated on him with Lucifer. Synopsis The Faust Act After the Judge Holmes murder, Baal appeared on television defending Lucifer, saying that she shouldn't have been on trial in the first place, as her murder of the gunmen was in self-defence. However, he agreed with Ananke that she should be left in prison, and fought with Inanna about it. Baal overheard Cassandra and Laura discussing him as a suspect in the judge's murder, having been messaged their location by Cassandra's assistant. He invited them to Valhalla, threatening violence or legal action if they refused. He showed them a mural of himself, explained that the gods had no choice in how to deal with Lucifer, and led Laura to the meeting with Ananke, who explained they had to leave Lucifer in prison to ensure the continuance of the Recurrence. After Lucifer escaped from prison, Baal attacked her with lightning, telling her to go back or he and Sakhmet would kill her, although he admitted that in her position, he would refuse too. He was present after Lucifer was killed by Ananke for her out-of-control behaviour. He elected not to go to her funeral, noting that her parents likely wouldn't want him there. Fandemonium Baal was present at Fantheon. He defended Laura from harassers in the VIP area, and comforted Minerva after she unintentionally injured Brunhilde with a miracle. He also attended Dionysus' party, and hijacked a bus to take Laura home after it. There, they then slept together. Commercial Suicide Baal was devastated when Inanna was murdered (seemingly by Baphomet). He gave an interview about his feelings for Inanna to Beth and her camera crew in exchange for her help finding the Morrigan, who he believed would lead him to Baphomet. He and Woden captured her and took her back to Valhalla, where she was imprisoned in a cage Woden had built. He then picked a fight with Tara at a Pantheon meeting shortly before her death, which he later expressed regret about. Ananke revealed that Baphomet may have been influenced by a demon, and war may be on the horizon, so Baal started training in preparation. Rising Action In late September, Ananke called a gathering of the gods and revealed that 'The Destroyer' had returned. She took Woden and Sakhmet with her to fight this being, but commanded Baal to stay and guard Valhalla, despite his protests. Once they left, there was a knock at the door, which Baal opened to find Baphomet on the other side. Baphomet attacked him with a flaming baton, knocking him out. Once he regained consciousness, he went after Baphomet, who was escaping with the Morrigan and Minerva, vowing revenge for Inanna's death. However, at that moment, Persephone arrived and rescued them. Baal came to the realisation that she was actually Laura Wilson. Despite this, Ananke convinced him that she was his enemy, and sent him, Sakhmet and Amaterasu after the runaway gods, resulting in another battle as they rescued Minerva. The other gods followed them to Valhalla and continued their battle there, leaving Minerva inside with Ananke. Urdr arrived and broke up the fight, persuading them to put aside their differences temporarily to check that Minerva really was safe. Sakhmet paid no attention to this, fully intending to continue the fight, but Baal knocked her out, concerned for Minerva's well-being. They found Ananke just as she was about to sacrifice Minerva, and a furious Baal led the attack. Persephone captured Ananke in her vines, and seemed to be considering killing her, but Baal talked her down, reminding her that it was not what her parents or Inanna would have wanted. He comforted her, and she appeared to be listening to him. However, she then asked what her sister would have wanted, and, realising she would never know, violently killed Ananke. Baal then decided they would claim it was self-defence, to protect Persephone from jail. Imperial Phase (I) Following this, Baal moved into the Pantheon's new headquarters in the Shard with Persephone and Minerva. He officially became Minerva's legal guardian after her parents' deaths. His first priority was meeting with government figures to reassure them about recent events. He was interviewed for the November 2014 edition of Pantheon Monthly, in which he revealed he was in a relationship with Persephone. He also spoke about the new responsibilities he had taken on since Ananke's death, becoming the de facto leader of the group. As Baal was relaxing one night with Persephone and Minerva, Minerva was abruptly kidnapped by the Great Darkness. He fought them off and rescued her, then went to check on his family, who had also been attacked. The Pantheon held a meting to discuss how they would deal with the Great Darkness, and Baal believed their main priority should be fighting them. They held a vote with the result being to do nothing, Persephone casting the deciding vote. Baal was frustrated by this and when he confronted her, Persephone broke up with him, telling him she was not Inanna and would only ever hurt him. Minerva continued to be attacked by the Great Darkness and Baal continued to fight them off. After one such attack, Baal made a quick trip to Valhalla and when he returned, made it clear he had plans for them on 1 May 2015. Meanwhile, he held meetings with the government. The Great Darkness then appeared to disappear for a while. He maintained a frosty relationship with Persephone after their breakup, refusing to attend Amaterasu's parties in order to avoid her and treating her coolly whenever he did see her. Imperial Phase (II) Sakhmet went on a killing spree and Baal led the Pantheon's efforts to search for her. Persephone informed him that Sakhmet had been hiding with her and that she had just gone to the British Museum. They pursued her there and Amaterasu convinced him to let her talk to Sakhmet, which ended in Amaterasu's death. Baal tracked her to Persephone's place and attacked her, but Sakhmet overpowered him. Persephone continued the fight in his place, but in the end it was Minerva who killed Sakhmet, appearing to explode her head. Mothering Invention Persephone discovers to her horror that Baal is not Baal Hadad as he claimed, but is actually Baal Hammon as Urdr had suggested, when she discovers a hidden chamber in Valhalla containing a large metal sacrificial bowl and the skeletons of young children used in sacrifice. Baal confronts her, revealing his power over fire and his tragic backstory. Appearance Baal is a black man with short black hair and brown eyes. He typically wears a suit over a T-shirt, a gold stud earring in his left ear, and a gold chain around his neck or, after the meeting at Valhalla, the lightning pendant he received from Woden. A variant cover for Issue 19 depicts Baal with a tattoo of Inanna's symbol, but it is unknown whether he has this in the comic. Personality Baal is arrogant, proud, and aggressive. He is angry about the limited life span that results from being a god. He says that when he performs, people know that he is bad in his soul, which makes them feel better about their own inner darkness. However, he also has a more vulnerable side, which he displays around Minerva and Inanna. Baal's nicknames Baal likes giving people nicknames, and appears to call people by their actual names as a mark of respect or affection. These include: Relationships Lucifer Lucifer said that Baal was "not her type." The two argued in the past when Lucifer slept with Baal's boyfriend, Inanna. Inanna Baal and Inanna were in a relationship, but Inanna slept with Lucifer, which Baal viewed as a betrayal. Inanna argued with Baal over helping Lucifer, and Baal physically attacked him, nearly throwing him through a wall. Though they never reconciled before Inanna's death, Baal was in love with him, and regretted never being able to tell him. Inanna's death has sparked a strong desire for revenge in Baal. Laura Wilson Laura found Baal very attractive and hoped he was not the murderer. He kept teasing her about being a fangirl, but eventually stopped, even started calling her by her first name. It is implied that they slept together after Dionysus's party. However, once she became Persephone and teamed up with Baphomet, Ananke convinced Baal that she was his enemy, and he fought against her. After Ananke's death, they entered a relationship, but Laura later broke it off. Woden Woden gave Baal a necklace with a lightning symbol on it during a meeting at Woden's Valhalla. The two worked together to capture the Morrigan. While Baal accepts that Woden "is who he is", he was annoyed that Woden's relationship with Brunhilde forced Minerva to resort to violence. Woden thinks Baal is very easily manipulated. Minerva Baal is very protective over Minerva and they have a close relationship. He comforted her after she attacked Brunhilde, and they seem to spend a lot of time together. He later rescued her from the underworld gods, believing them to have kidnapped her, and turned against Ananke to save her. He is currently Minerva's legal guardian now that her parents are dead. Ananke Baal always obeyed Ananke's orders, and often acted as one of her enforcers. He did not question her authority. Ananke used his relationship with Inanna to manipulate him into fighting against Persephone's faction of gods, despite his initial reluctance. However, he turned against her once he realised she was actually guilty of the crimes she had been accused of. Powers As a Fire and Lightning God, Baal has powers based on both making him a very powerful God: *'Pyrokinesis' Able to generate and manipulate fire at will. *'Electrokinesis:' Baal is able to generate and manipulate mass amounts of energy in the form of electricity/lightning. He is able to use these abilities in a variety of ways, most commonly as a means of energy based combat, enhancing his strength to cause devastating effects such as smashing Lucifer into the ground and knocking out Sakhmet with only one punch. He was also able to manipulate the lightning in the form of a cage, preventing the Morrigan's escape even in her crow form. Baal's lightning also affords him the ability to traverse at incredible speeds, travelling across London in the form of a lightning bolt within seconds. It appears on some level the lightning is capable of charging vehicles, as it allowed his car to travel at a much faster rate, leaving visible lightning streaks behind it. His power and skill make him one of the Pantheon's best fighters; in his opinion, the best. **As a side effect of his powers, he is able to emit sparks of lightning from his eyes. *'Atmokinesis': As a weather God Baal is able to create and manipulate any weather condition he wishes. After he burned down Valhalla he created a rainstorm to put out his flames. Quotes Dialogue }} Trivia *Baal is based on an archetype which runs 'from Bo Diddley doing "Who Do You Love" to Kanye doing "Power"'.Writer Notes: The Wicked + The Divine #2 *Baal's mural at Valhalla appears to be based on the music video for Power. *He has a fragrance line, the tagline for which is "Capture lightning in a bottle." Appearances References |-|450s Recurrence= Baal Hammon appeared during the 450s Recurrence. His death was witnessed by Geiseric, King of the Vandals, during the summer of 454. History Baal Hammon's death probably occurred sometime in the summer of 454,According to Geiseric, he saw Baal the summer before Lucifer's takeover of Rome, which occurred in 455. and was witnessed by Geiseric, King of the Vandals. His skin split and his bones burst through, but he did not scream very much. Personality In the opinion of Ananke, Baal was "better" than Lucifer, as he had more faith. Powers Baal's powers are unknown, but he caused Geiseric to feel as if his body was "consumed with holy fire". References Mythology Several gods exist who could be called "Baal". Cassandra initially suspected that Baal was Baal Hammon, a Carthaginian sky god who was involved with child sacrifice. However, Baal claims his name is short for Baal Hadad, a Canaanite lightning god and ruler of heaven. In one myth, Baal is lured to the underworld by his brother and is trapped there after eating mud. His sister Anat kills Death and he is freed once more. Anat, who is also Baal's lover, is an earlier version of the Sumerian goddess Inanna.The Wicked, The Divine, and The Mythology—Part 3: Baal and Inanna It is revealed that Baal is actually Baal Haamon and has been hiding behind the identity of Baal Hadad, conducting child sacrifices in the background unknown to other members of the Pantheon. Category:1920s Pantheon Category:2010s Pantheon Category:Gods